Exercising bench



G. W. HUNTER EXERCISING BENCH April 22, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 12, 1956 INVENTOR I BY 6A2; M,M+Xng ATTORNEYS April 22, 1958 G. w. HUNTER EXERCISING BENCH 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 12, 1956 IN VENTOR GRADY Wl-lunlr: 2,.

ATTORNEYS Uniw This invention relates to tables or benches and more particularly to an exercising type of bench for supporting a person while he is taking exercise.

In the art of body building involving the lifting of weights, various types of exercising benches have made their appearance on the market for supporting the body in various positions while taking exercise. However, most all of the benches which are readily available on the market are particularly designed for supporting the body in only one position with the result that a person desiring to take a wide variety of exercises has to purchase several different types of benches. I

It is therefore the primary object of this invention to provide an exercising bench which is readily adjustable or can be readily changed over from one type of bench to several other types.

It is more particularly an object of this invention to provide an exercising bench which may be arranged to support a persons body in a horizontal position, or changed over to an inclined position or changed over to a reversely inclined position for permitting a person to take a wide variety of exercises to build up the body.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an exercising bench having a base portion above which is supported a table or body supporting portion which when in erected position always extends beyond one end of the base portion and which is so supported fromthe base portion that there is no danger of the device tilting or overturning when being used. However, when the bench is placed in collapsed position, the table or body supporting portion is moved into engagement with portions of the base portion with the opposite ends of the body supporting position being in substantial vertical alinement with the base portion to present a collapsed exercising bench which can be readily transported or moved from one position to another as a compact package.

This application is a continuation-in-part of application, Serial Number 547,884, filed November 8, 1955, now abandoned.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds,

when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a side elevational view showing the exercising bench in collapsed position;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view showing the exercising bench erected to form what is known in the trade as a horizontal pressing bench and side exercising bench;

Figure 3 is a top plan view taken on line 33 of Figure 2 but omitting therefrom the dotted line showing of the person taking exercise;

Figure 4 is a side elevation taken on line 44 of Figure 2 but omitting therefrom the dotted line showing of the person taking exercise;

Figure 5 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary horizontal section taken along line 55 of Figure l and showing the arrangement of the supporting members at one end of the bench;

tates Patent 0 "ice Figure 6 is a side elevational view showing the exercising bench erected into what is known in the trade as an abdominal bench and the inverted pressing bench;

Figure 7 is a side elevational view of the exercising bench erected .into what is known in the trade as an adjustable inclined bench;

Figure 8 is a horizontal sectional view taken along the line 88 of Figure 2 and showing the arrangement of the various supporting members on the base portion of the bench;

Figure 9 is a horizontal sectional view taken along line 9-9 of Figure 2 and showing the under side of the table orbody supporting portion and the manner in which the supporting components are arranged thereon for supporting the body supporting portion from the base;

Figure 10 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 10-10 of Figure 7 and clearly showing the arrangement of the supporting members for supporting the body supporting portion in an inclined position.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the exer-' cising bench comprises an elongated base portion 10 and.

' yond both sides thereof which extending portions serve as foot rests when the exercising bench is being used in the inclined position shown in Figure 7. The outwardly extending foot portions also serve to in effect provide a wider base to therefore give the bench more stability and prevent it from falling over on its side when in use.

Positioned inwardly from the foot portion 12 are a pair of angle iron brackets 14 which are suitably secured to the base portion 10 as by bolts 15. The vertical side flanges of the bracket 14 are provided with alined bores or apertures which are penetrated by a relatively long bolt 16 provided with a nut 17. Positioned immediately above the brackets 14, as shown in Figure 2, are a pair of upper brackets 20 being similarly shaped as the brackets 14 and being suitably secured to the underside of the body supporting portion 11 by suitable bolts 21. These brackets 20, as shown in Figure 9, are also provided with suitable bores or apertures in their vertical flanges which are penetrated by another relatively long bolt 22 provided with a nut 23. A rectangularly-shaped first support or leg portion broadly indicated by reference numeral 24 is pivotally supported at its upper and lower ends by the bolts 22 and 16, respectively, penetrating upper and lower horizontally disposed tubular transverse members 25 and 26 which with vertically arranged tubular members 27 form the leg 24L As will be observed upon a comparison of Figures 2 or 6 with Figure l, the lower and upper brackets 14 and 20 are so positioned inwardly from the adjacent ends of the base and body supporting portion 11 that the leg 24 when" moved from the vertical position of Figures 2 and 6 to the horizontal position of Figure 1 positions the body supporting portion 11 over the base portion 10 to place the ends of the body supporting portion and base -in substantial vertical alinement with each other to preportion 10 by bolts 31. Collar members 32, as shown most clearly in Figure 5, are suitably secured as by welding in the corner portions of the bracket 30 in engagement with the side flange portions 30a and end flange portion 3% which flange portions serve to give addedlateral support for the collar. Each of the collars 32 is provided with a pair of alined bores or apertures. 33, each of which is penetrated by a locking device or pin 34which is prevented from moving out ofthebores by a pliable member or rope 35 connecting the pins together. It is apparent that the pliable member 35v has sufiicient resiliency inherent therein to permit the manual removal of the pins 34 for reasons shortly to be explained When the exercising bench is being employed as a horizontal pressing bench as shown in Figure 2, the lower ends or'legs 40a of an inverted U-shaped second support or, brace 40 are positioned in the collars 32 and the lower ends of the legs are provided with alined bores or apertures 39, the lowermost of which are penetrated by the pins 34 to maintain the legs in the collars. The upper end of the support or brace 40 comprises a hollow transverse tubuiar member 41 which is penetrated by a rela tively long bolt 42vprovided with a nut 43. An inverted U-shaped bracket 44 is suitably secured to the underside of the body supporting portion 11 by bolts 45 and it is apparent that the downturned ends of the bracket member 44 are provided with suitable bores or apertures for the bolt 42 to be positioned in for pivotally supporting the support or brace 40 therefrom.

Small bores 46 are provided adjacent the outer edge of each of the vertical flanges of the bracket 44 and are adapted to be alined with the bores 33 in the collars 32 when the exercising bench is moved into the position shown in Figure 6 for presenting an abdominal exercising bench. In this position, the pins 34 will penetrate the bores 46 before penetrating the bores 33 in the collars 32 to thus lock the body supporting portion 11 in this inclined position.

An intermediate prop member or third support broadly indicated by reference numeral 50, as shown in Figure 2, extends inwardly from the bracket 30 to support the medial portion of the body supporting portion 11. The support or prop member 50 is shown in the form of a U-shaped tubular member having a pair of hollow legs 51 and a transverse tubular member 51a positioned between the flange portions 30a of the bracket 30. The transverse member 51a is penetrated by a bolt 52 provided with a nut 53 for pivotally mounting the support or prop member 59 in the bracket 30. The upper ends of the legs 51 of the support or prop member 50 are suitably braced by a plate 54 as shown in Figure to maintain the leg portions of the support in substantially parallel relation to each other so as to readily receive the lower ends of the legs 40a of the support or brace 40 therein when the exercising bench is arranged in the manner shown in Figure 7 to present an inclined bench.

The brace 54 is provided with an aperture 55 which is penetrated by a bolt 56 provided with a wing nut 57 carried by a medial bracket 6!) which is suitably secured as by bolts 61 to the underside of a medial portion of the body supporting portion 11 to thus maintain the support or prop member 50 in the position shown in Figure 2 when the exercising bench is arranged as a horizontal pressing bench.

When it is desired to change the exercising bench from the position shown in Figure 2 into an inclined bench as shown in Figure 7, the pins 34 are withdrawn from the bores 33 of the collars 32' to permitthe support or brace 45 to be withdrawn therefrom. Now the support or prop member 59 is disconnected from the wing bolt 56 after which the legs 40:: of the support or brace are slidably or telescopically received by the legs 51 of the support or prop member 5i) after which the pins 34 are each positioned in one of the apertures 39 to thus maintain the support or brace 40 in adjusted position with respect to the support or, prop member 50. A transversely disposed bolt 62 is provided for each of the legs 51 and serves as a bottom stop for the legs 40a of the support or brace 40 when it is desired to lower the upper end of the body supporting portion 11 in Figure 7 and reduce its angle of inclination relative to the base portion 10.

A pliable member or belt 63 is provided to maintain the exercising bench in a compact package as shown in Figure l, which belt also serves as a leg strap for maintaining the legs of the exerciser in engagement with the overhanging end of the body supporting portion 11 when the person is doing exercises similar to that shown in Figure 2 wherein the back and neck muscles are being strengthened; Using the belt as a leg strap serves as a means to prevent the bench from tilting by maintaining the leg portions of the exerciser in counterbalancing relation to the overhanging head and shoulder portions, as is apparent upon an inspection of Figure 2.

It should be observed that when the exercising bench is to be collapsed from the position shown in Figure 7, the supports liland 59 are disconnected from each other and pivoted inwardly to overlie the base portion 16 while the-support 24 is pivoted outwardly to carry the body supporting portion 1-1 therewith to position the body supporting portion in substantial vertical alinement with the base portion 10.

It should also be observed that when the exercising bench is in collapsed position, the foot portion 12 serves as a spacer to maintain the body portion 11 a sufficient distance away from the base portion 10 to allow for the supports therebetween without any of the supports being damagedas in transit wherein goods are stacked quite high on each other.

It is thus seen that there has been provided an exercising bench of great adaptability to support a person in a variety of positions for various types of exercise, which bench thus avoids the heretofore heavy expense to a body building enthusiast of purchasing various types of benches to enable him to take the wide variety of exercises.

In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention and, although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims. I

I claim:

1. An exercising bench comprising an elongated horizontally disposed base member, an elongated horizontally disposed body supporting portion positioned above said base member and having one end normally extending outwardly beyond one end of said base member and the other end terminating inwardly from the other end of thebase member, a first support positioned adjacent said other ends of said base member and body supporting portion and being pivotally connected to the upper surface of the base member and the underside of said body supporting portion, a U-shaped support pivotally mounted on said base member. remote from said first support and extendingupwardly from the base member and having leg portions formed from tubular members having open upper ends, a pivotally mounted inverted U-shaped support secured to the underside of said body supporting portion adjacent said outwardly extending end and extending downwardly therefrom, the lower ends of said inverted U-shaped support beingreceived in the upper ends of the Urshaped support and means for adjustably positioning the U-shaped members relative to each other.

2. Anexercising bench comprising an elongated base portion, a transversely disposed foot portion secured to oneend of said base portion and extending outwardly beyond the side edges thereof, an elongated body receiving portion positioned above said base portion and having one end extending outwardly beyond the end of the base, portion remote from said foot portion and the other end'terrninating inwardly from the foot portion, a first-supportpivotallyconnectingsaid other'end of the body receiving portion to a medial portion of said base portion, a U-shaped tubular support pivotally mounted adjacent the end of said base portion remote from said foot portion and extending upwardly therefrom, an inverted U-shaped support pivotally connected to the underside of said body receiving portion and extending downwardly therefrom and being matingly received in said first mentioned U-shaped support, and means for adjusting the relative position of said U-shaped supports with respect to each other to vary the'angle of inclination of the body receiving portion with respect to the base portion.

3. An exercising bench comprising an elongated base, an elongated body supporting portion positioned above said base, a first support pivotally connected to said base and the body receiving portion to normally support one end of the body supporting portion in spaced relation to the base, a second support having one end pivotally connected to the underside of the body supporting portion remote from said first support, a third support having one end pivotally connected to said base remote from said first support, and means for respectively securing the other ends of said second and third supports to said base and the body supporting portion, said other ends of the second and third supports being so formed that they will matingly engage each other if it is desired to position the body supporting portion in inclined position relative to the base.

4. A bench for supporting the body of a person while taking exercise wherein the upper body portions of the person extend beyond one end of the bench; said bench comprising an elongated base portion, an elongated body supporting portion positioned above said base portion and having one end extending outwardly beyond one end of the base portion and its other end terminating inwardly from the other end of said base portion, means for supporting the body supporting portion in substantially a horizontal plane comprising a first support positioned adjacent said other ends of the base and body supporting portions and being pivotally connected thereto, a second support having its upper end pivotally connected to said body supporting portion adjacent said one end thereof, means for detachably securing the lower end of said second support to said base portion adjacent said one end thereof, a third support having its lower end pivotally connected to said base portion intermediate said first and second support, means for detachably securing the upper end of the third support to the body supporting portion, and means positioned on said outwardly extending end of the body supporting portion to engage leg portions of a person lying on the bench to maintain the leg portions of the person substantially horizontal and in engagement with the bench to counter-balance the weight of upper body portions of the person extending beyond the other end of the bench.

5. A bench according to claim 4 wherein said means for engaging the leg portions of a person comprises a belt encircling the body supporting portion.

6. An exercising bench comprising; an elongated horizontal base member, an elongated horizontal body supporting portion positioned above said base member, a support positioned adjacent one end of said base member and body supporting portion, means pivotally connecting said support to the base member and to the body supporting portion, a prop member, means pivotally connecting one end of said prop member to said base member at a position remote from said support, a first releasable con necting means for securing the other end of said prop member to an intermediate portion of said body supporting portion, a brace positioned adjacent the other end of said base member and body supporting portion, means pivotally connecting said brace to the body supporting portion, said brace extending downwardly from said body supporting portion, a second releasable connecting means for securing said brace to said base member, the body supporting portion of said bench being adapted to be selectively located in positions other than horizontal by releasing said first and second connecting means from said prop member and said brace respectively, and upon said prop member and said brace being pivoted into proper position, the lower end of said brace being matingly received by the upper end of said prop member, and means to adjustably and releasably secure the lower end of said brace and the upper end of said prop member together.

7. An exercising bench comprising; an elongated horizontally disposed base member, an elongated horizontally disposed body supporting portion positioned above said base member and having one end normally extending outwardly beyond one end of said base member and the other end terminating inwardly from the other end of the base member, a support positioned adjacent said other ends of said base member and body supporting portion, means pivotally connecting said support to the upper surface of the base member and to the underside of said body supporting portion, a first pair of spaced parallel tubular members, means pivotally connecting said first pair of spaced tubular members on said base member remote from said support, a first connecting means for releasably securing said first pair of spaced tubular members to an intermediate portion of the underside of said body supporting portion, a secondpair of spaced parallel tubular members, means pivotally connecting said second pair of spaced tubular members to the underside of said body supporting portion adjacent saidoutwardly extending end, said second pair of spaced tubular members extending downwardly from said body supporting portion, a second connecting means adjacent said one end of said base member for releasably securing said second pair of spaced tubular members to said base member, the body supporting portion of said bench being adapted to be selectively located in positions other than horizontal by detaching said first and second connecting means from the first and second pairs of spaced tubular members respectively, and upon said first and second pairs of spaced tubular members being pivoted into proper position, the lower ends of said second pair of spaced tubular members may be received in the upper ends of said first pair of spaced tubular members, and means to adjustably and releasably secure the lower ends of said second pair of spaced tubular members within the upper ends of said first pair of spaced tubular members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 309,678 Aubin Dec. 23, 1884 366,783 Marshall July 19, 1887 1,002,005 Smith Aug. 29, 1911 1,331,041 Anderson Feb. 17, 1920 2,240,228 Schall Apr. 29, 1941 

